


grown in the sunlight

by akissontitan, kismetNemesis



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Families of Choice, Gen, Platonic Relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-01
Updated: 2017-03-01
Packaged: 2018-09-27 14:35:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,712
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10025954
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/akissontitan/pseuds/akissontitan, https://archiveofourown.org/users/kismetNemesis/pseuds/kismetNemesis
Summary: Sometimes the people you love start to rub off on you.ORA thorough examination of what's in Magnus Burnsides' fridge.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [goodnicepeople](https://archiveofourown.org/users/goodnicepeople/gifts).



> A collabo from Alix and Nikki for our lovely friend GG, who's been going through some rough stuff! 
> 
> Tonight the role of Magnus will be played by Alix, and the role of Taako will be played by Nikki. And Lin-Manuel Miranda is playing the cat.

There were literally _no_ reasons for Taako to get out of bed, which was exactly how he had planned it. Stuffy air from occupying a single room for 14+ hours, probably-around-midday sun seeping softly through his curtains. Footie pyjamas firmly on, hair decidedly matted, but it didn't _matter_. He'd made the conscious choice to sleep, and to then wake up, and continue to do the _sweetest of F-A_ today, because _why the fuck not_ , he probably deserved it.

Somehow, though, despite the perfect lazing habitat he'd created for himself, Taako found himself thinking thoughts unthinkable: getting _up_. Moving. _Breakfast_.

Unbelievable.

It wasn't as if he was even particularly _hungry_. There was a slight empty rumble to his tummy, but he was pretty practiced in ignoring that. The whole concept of sustaining his flesh with nutrients was... _messy_ , for him. Complicated. _Unnecessary_ , in his opinion; elves had magic in their blood and hundreds of years to live but evolution still burdened them with trivial shit like _taking care of themselves_? Hokey.

Still. Something had his feet, socked in feline-print jimmyjams, itching to move. Taako rubbed his eyes, cracked his back eight ways from Sunday, and tried very hard to ignore the awfully _Magnus-esque_ voice in his head reminding him that _a healthy breakfast is the key to any good day!_ Fuck that voice. Too peppy, for this hour of the afternoon.

He made his way to the kitchen with a begrudging sort of acceptance, and, still groggy with sleep, autopiloted his way through the fantasy fridge and pantry. Toast would be temptingly easy, but a batch of muffins could be stored in the freezer. For future days where his mind was itching like this. For routine, or _health_ , or whatever.

Flour. Butter, egg, ham, cheese. Salt, tumeric, rosemary- no - thyme. Ugh, _broccoli_. Taako hated the stuff. Generally speaking, cruciferous greens were fuckin' awful. 

(Magnus had come from a steak-and-three-veg family, _typical human_. During their moon days, Taako had learned, begrudgingly, to include a protein and a _vegetation_ in everything he made for his friend to sample.)

Taako pre-heated the oven and assembled the batter, a portion of his sleepy mind still stuck on Magnus. Why was everything reminding him of his human today? The guy wasn't even that into _healthiness_ , Taako had caught him deep-throating tubes of cookie dough more often than he'd like to remember. Mag's fridge was probably fish food, dog food, and a scraped-clean jar of nutella now that he lived alone. Maybe it was one of those _rustic charm_ things. The kinda guy who valued home-cooked meals with family. Soul food 'n shit.

Taako stuffed a few more broccoli sprigs in each muffin tray hole before covering them with cheese. Maybe he wouldn't taste the green. Maybe he wouldn't mind it too much. Whatever.

Into the oven. Fifteen minutes to bake would do. Taako leaned against the kitchen bench, gaze drifting back towards his room. The bed he so cruelly abandoned would be _so warm_ , but... christ, when had his laundry pile exploded like that? Maybe he could knock out a load of whites before the muffins finished.

(Back on the moon, Magnus was almost too willing to take care of his and Merle's laundry. Something about how Taako's red slip had once stained Mag's nice dress shirt all pink. Whatever. Pink was totally his colour.)

Taako squinted at the oven timer. Thirteen minutes. Yeah. He could get something done in that time.

\---

Magnus had done the unthinkable: he’d made a shopping list.

He caught himself halfway through making it, looking up and blinking in disbelief. As long as he could remember, he’d just gone to the market when his fantasy fridge had nothing but empty jars of peanut butter and weeks-old takeout in it, grabbed whatever looked appealing, and then made do until he ran out of food again. Magnus Burnsides was not a planner, and he was not about to spend precious time searching for, like, milk and eggs. 

So why was he making careful little boxes next to those very words right now? 

He sat back and frowned, trying to recall when he’d started thinking this was a good idea. Maybe it was a product of aging, something about getting wrinkled and grey releasing a responsibility hormone in him. 

No, that was stupid. Among other things, he would’ve seen Merle do it if it were just about getting older. The minifridge in the Tres Horny Suite had never been stocked with groceries, all three of them preferring to eat at the Bureau cafeteria. Instead, it was filled with 20% stolen snacks from various parties and 80% spell components.

Taako liked to act like he pulled off all his magic on a whim, coming up with the perfect solution to any problem at a moment’s notice, but Magnus had seen him fill his pockets with moss and crushed gemstones and (gross!) bits of tentacle before each of their adventures. He’d seen the way Taako went quiet, assessing the situation before committing to acting. 

He’d seen Taako make shopping lists. 

Magnus finished the list and shoved it into his pocket before pulling on his boots and striking out for the main road. It was a beautiful morning. He liked to go to the market before most people showed up, as part of his quest to befriend some of the shopkeepers. Today he’d brought some chicken fingers that Taako had made upon his request, intending to give them to the local beekeeper. Magnus called it a gift, Taako called it a bribe, potato, tomato; he wanted to call dibs on some of the lavender honey.

A sound like a spoon caught in the garbage disposal caught his attention. The cause was immediately clear: two skinny cats fighting by the side of the road. They were snarling something fierce and otherworldly, and Magnus was reminded why he was a dog person. 

Upon closer inspection, he saw that one cat was much bigger and more powerful than the other, and was clearly winning the fight. 

“This is probably normal for cats,” he said to himself, trying fruitlessly to convince himself to keep going. “They’re cats, who even cares?”

He sighed. Him. He cared, was the answer to that question.

He prepared to dive into the fray, bites and scratches be damned, before he remembered his shopping list. 

Taako had, almost certainly unintentionally, taught him a lot of things. Remembering to buy bread was one of them. 

Creative solutions to problems was the other.

Magnus approached the cats carefully, pulling out a chicken finger. Ever so slowly, he laid it on the ground and waited for the wind to shift. 

The bigger cat took a moment to notice the food, but when it did, it abandoned the smaller cat immediately, diving onto the food. Magnus waited until he was sure the smaller one had gotten away before he continued on his way.

Only a few minutes later, he felt a small head rub against his leg. The big cat had been following him.

“Absolutely not,” he scolded. “I already adopted one grumpy asshole. The position has been filled.”

\---

Taako had his nose so close to a fantasy bath bomb when his stone of farspeech began shrieking Magnus' channel tone at him that he got the smell of patchouli directly up his nostrils, but he couldn't find it in himself to be too upset. He turned off the faucet for the bath he'd just started running, placed the scented orb back on the bathroom vanity, and not-so-gracefully scooted to the couch where he'd left his stone, activating it as he flopped, clad only in his robe, on the cushions.

“Please talk me out of adopting a cat.”

"Yikes, okay, who stole my comically dog-obsessed Magnus and replaced him with this feline sympathiser?"

"If you think about it, cats are just small dogs, right? Besides, don't YOU like cats?"

"They're superior and highly relatable in every way, yes, but that doesn't explain your sudden interest. What happened? Picking up strays again, Burnsides?"

"Well, I saw one fighting another one and I had to stop it... I lured one out of the way with food and now it wants to move in with me forever, I think!"

"Sounds like a sure-fire way to get rabies, if you ask me. Can't say I'm shocked though. So long as it doesn't eat Steven, I guess there's no harm adding one more to your fuckin' zoo. Providing, of course, I'm still your favourite."

"You've just been downgraded to fourth favorite! I told you to talk me out of this, Taako! Well, he's inside now, so it's too late."

" _Fourth_ favourite?! I'm _hurt_ , Magno! I ate a vegetable today and _everything_ , fuck the cat, you should be singing my praises!"

"You ate a vegetable by yourself?? Sure it wasn't one of your nightmares?"

"Christ, fuckin'... _Wail On Taako Day_ , I didn't realise. I slurped me up like half a brocc plant, compadre, shoulda seen it. Did some housework too, if you need a further excuse to dote on me."

"I'm proud of you, buddy. You know, _I_ made a shopping list today."

"GASP! _My_ Magnus, actually planning his own meals instead of impulse buying crates of Ye Olde Ben  & Jerry's and nothing else?! I'm _shook_ , darling."

"Both of us have accomplished so much! I feel like we've really grown as complex characters."

"Augh, no, too late at night to get weird and feelingsy at me. Shut up. Stop. I'll sue. Eugh. Yuck."

"You wouldn't pick up during approved feelings hours! I had no choice! Okay, fine, you can hang up, but I was thinking you could name the cat, if you wanted, since he's basically yours too at this point."

"Uh, oh, okay. Well. Taako Junior is probably too much of a mouthful. How about Crithta? Good strong elven name. Sunbeam. Sounds like something you'd get all schmoopy over. Remind you of me, or... something."

"Taako, it is way too late to get all feelingsy like that. Okay, I'm holding Crithta up to the stone to say goodnight! He loves you!"

"HEY don't twist my words- aw shit is he purring. Fuck. That's kinda cute. I, uh... I love you too, you hairy fleabag. And the cat, as well."

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed (especially YOU, GG!)! Leave us a comment!
> 
> You can find us on twitter [@nycreous](https://twitter.com/nycreous) and [@kismetnemesis](https://twitter.com/kismetnemesis)!


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